O Cousin, Where Art Thou?
by An Angel Departed
Summary: Jackson thinks about his life and remembers the loved ones he left back home. He also sees the people he's just started to love and wonders if he can ever leave them. Somewhat long but well worth the read! Sequel is in progress!
1. Chapter 1

"_O Cousin, Where Art Thou?"_

Cody Jackson laid out on the sand as he tried to pretend he was somewhere back home. He closed his eyes as he felt the window blow over his cheek. He felt the soft sand on the back of his neck and hands. He felt the warm sun blazing down on his face. He desperately tried to imagine he was at the beach with his two cousins or at the pool with his aunt and mother. Things seemed so much simpler back then…

_"Cojack!" Johanna Emmett shouted. Jackson heard his cousin's familiar nickname for him and ran back towards the large cornfield behind their house. "Come on, Jackson!"_

_Jackson raced into the cornfield as he heard his cousin's voice again. He pushed most of the cornstalks aside and knocked off a few ears. Jackson could feel the corn leaves slightly cutting up the skin on his hands as he pushed by. He heard the rhythmic sound of the legs of his jeans rubbing together as he ran._

_"Hurry up!" he heard Johanna's voice yell out again._

_Jackson burst out the back end of the cornfield and turned to his left as he continued running. His brand new black Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars were making pounding sounds against the packed dirt. Jackson slowed down as he reached the edge of the woods and walked down the hill, through the balding brush, until he reached the edge of the river. He wiped off the leaves and vines stuck to his pant legs quickly._

_Jackson walked out on the telephone pole going across the river and steadied himself. He regained his balance after he almost felt himself fall over the side, into the rocky waters. He took the last few steps and jumped back down onto solid ground. Jackson started making his way up the bank on the other side of the river, grabbing onto the trees for balance._

_"Seriously, Jackson, come on!" Jo's voice called out again. _

_Jackson raced up the bank and finally reached their clever tree house in the middle of the woods. He gripped the rotting wood of the ladder firmly as he positioned his feet on one of the wood slats nailed to the tree._

"_There you are! We were going to start without you any minute now," Jo replied sternly as she pulled open the trap door on the floor of the treehouse._

_"Sure you were. You wouldn't dare start without me," Jackson said as he pulled his wiry body up the side of the tree. He pulled himself up through the trap door and closed it behind him._

_"Where were you, Cojack?" Jo asked, her hands flying up onto her hips._

_"Never mind that now. I want to start," Mark scolded them from the big, old chair from the basement of the house. Jo and Jackson walked over to the torn mattress in the corner of the treehouse and laid down, leaning up against each other. Mark cleared his throat as he opened their newest book, 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.'_

_This was what the three of them did daily. Everyday, after lunch, they would walk out to the tree house and read about these children who had such amazing lives. They read books like, 'Annie' and 'Oliver Twist.' Some of the kids came from nothing, like Jackson, but all of them ended up being adopted by some rich guy or becoming a hero. Jackson hoped that maybe his life would end up like those kids._

_He was living with his mother, in his aunt's house. They had been evicted and finding a job had proved harder than it looked. Jackson found himself always playing with his cousins, Johanna and Mark, who had become like his best friends. He didn't have much else for friends. They all viewed him as some poor, white kid from the bad side of the streets. Most common of all, everyone viewed their family as trouble. On top of everything, Jackson's caseworker had been trying to take him away from his mother ever since his eighth birthday._

_Mark started reading the first page of their new book with an unenthused tone, but he eventually got into it, reading each accent with a southern twist. Jackson and Johanna listened as they glanced around the treehouse, but always found themselves looking right back at the picture on the cover._

_Johanna and Jackson eventually switched to lying on their stomachs. Jo had her hands holding up her head by her cheeks and her jaw slung open. Jackson was leaning up against her slightly with his arms crossed on the mattress and his head lying on them. He closed his eyes and tried imagining being in Huck's position. _

_Mark read for a long time. He read until his voice was sore and tired, which at that point, he handed Jo the book. Jo took the book from him and set it in front of her, holding the pages down with her hand._

_She usually lasted longer than Mark or Jackson when she read. Mark lasted about 45 minutes on average while Jo could read for an hour and a half if she wanted to. Jackson usually only read for 15 minutes or so when her voice would get raspy, before Aunt Sam would call them back to the house. The book would get passed around until no one could speak anymore or until dinner, if they were determined._

_Today seemed abnormally different. Jo had only been reading for about 10 minutes when they suddenly heard Jackson's mother, Aunt Judith, call from the house._

"_Kids, come back now!" she shouted out from their small farmhouse. Jo stopped reading._

"_That's strange," she replied, looking at Mark and Jackson. "What do you suppose the grown-ups wants?" Both the boys shrugged and they slowly made their way down the ladder._

_"Hurry up, kids!" Aunt Sam called out this time._

_The three of them walked down the bank of the river and back over the long telephone pole. They made their way up the other side of the bank and headed towards the cornfield._

_"Remember we're on chapter ten," Jo replied, handing the book to Mark._

_"Jo! You were supposed to leave that in the clubhouse!" Mark said. "Go put it back!" She sighed._

_"I don't want to go all the way back. We can take it back with us tomorrow," she replied. Mark shook his head._

_"Aunt Sam or Aunt Judith will find it and know we've been stealing books from the library!" Mark yelled back at her. Jackson shook his head._

_"Chill out. It isn't stealing if we give them back. We just don't have the money to get a library card. Don't start yelling at each other. I'll go put the book back," he said calmly. Jackson took the book from Mark and ran off down back towards the woods. Mark shot Jo a glance._

_"Lazy… come on, he'll catch up." Jo followed her brother through the cornfield and they walked back towards the house._

_"I'm not lazy," Jo argued with him._

_"Are too," Mark said back. Jo shoved him in the shoulder._

_"Last one back to the house is a lazy redneck!" she shouted, running off ahead of him. Mark gave a competitive smile and took off running after her. They raced through the stalks, letting them knock their legs and arms. Jo felt multiple leaves cut her on her arms as she ran through. Mark was still running behind her, catching up fast. She started laughing and cut sideways, going through some of the rows and jumping into the yard first._

_Mark ran out of the field right behind her. Jo looked beside her, at her brother, and tripped over a rock, falling with a tumble into the grass. Mark sprinted towards the side of the house. He could feel the wooden, dark blue, peeling shingles in his fingers. He reached out as he ran and suddenly saw the sheriff out of the corner of his eye. Mark tried as hard as he could to stop. He skidded right into the sheriff's potbelly and fell back into the dirt._

_"Whoa, slow down there, son," he said in his usual cheery voice. Mark looked up at him from the ground._

_"Sorry, sir," he obediently replied, getting up and wiping the dirt off his pants. Jo walked up beside them both and gingerly touched the house with her finger._

_"I win," she whispered. Mark gritted his teeth and held back from slugging her on her arm._

_"I came back to ask you kids if you know where your cousin, Cody Jackson, is," the sheriff said, trying his best not to sound like he was about to give bad news. Jo quickly looked over to Mark, who was giving her the same scared glance._

_"Well?" the sheriff said again. "Do you know where Cody is?"_

_"Um…" Mark replied, shaky._

_"He's not here," Jo quickly said. The sheriff raised his eyebrow._

_"Not here? I thought he was always with you kids," he replied. Jo shook her head and the sheriff gave her a suspicious glare. "Where is Cody then?"_

_"It's not Cody, its Jackson," Mark interrupted._

_"Excuse me," the sheriff said, somewhat frustrated. "Where is your cousin Jackson? I need to know." The two kids were silent. The sheriff glanced at Mark. "Mark, I know you're a smart kid. If you know how serious this situation is, you'd tell me where your cousin is. Please. Mark, I'm a sheriff… and technically, I could take you downtown, to the station. You wouldn't want that, would you? So stop playing games because this is important." Mark nervously glanced at Jo. He noticed she was paying no attention to what was going on, but rather, looking out into the cornfield. Mark saw where Jackson stood, half hidden in the stalks._

_Jackson was watching and mouthing, 'NO' to them and was waving his hands at Mark. Mark looked back at the sheriff. He had noticed that the kids were paying no attention. He turned and followed Jo's eyes to Jackson._

_All at that second, Jo saw her cousin start to run and saw the sheriff tense to go running after him. Jo kicked out with her right leg as hard as she could and got him square in his groin._

_"Run, Cojack!" Jo screamed out. Mark and Jo followed Jackson, racing around the house, desperately trying to get away. Running back to the tree house would only lure him to their trail._

_The sheriff sunk to his knees and held his groin as he sat there moaning._

_"You damned little brats! Get back here!" he shouted after them._

_"Excuse me?" a female voice said from behind him. The sheriff got up quickly._

_"What did you just call my children and nephew?" Aunt Sam asked angrily. Both Aunt Sam and Judith were standing there, looking pretty peeved. Aunt Sam had her arms crossed and Aunt Judith had her hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently. The sheriff stumbled to his feet._

_"All I asked your children was if they had seen Cody and the youngest one goes and kicks me!" he shouted. "Down right rude, if you ask me!" Aunt Sam shook her head._

_"We were standing here for the whole thing. Don't you dare threaten our kids again and don't go lying to us either! I was going to let you see my nephew and ask him a few questions, but now I take it back. Sir, please get off my property. If you ever come back you better have a warrant or the _real_ police with you," Aunt Sam said stubbornly. Aunt Judith stood next to her with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face._

"Fine… fine, I'll go… but don't expect for me to be coming back with good news," he said, turning around. The sheriff stomped back to his car and got in, angrily starting the engine.

_"He'd better not come back," Aunt Judith replied, both her and Aunt Sam turning their attention to the shed._

_"Marcus… Johanna…"Aunt Sam replied with that usual angry parent tone._

_"Cody…" Aunt Judith said in the same tone. Nothing happened._

_"Get out here now," Aunt Sam finally said. Suddenly, Jo, Mark, and Jackson all peered around the side of the shed. "Come here… all of you." They all walked out in plain sight and stood in front of their angered aunt and mother. "First of all, Jo, you don't just kick someone and especially if they are your elders. Second of all, you don't run away from the sheriff. He only wanted to ask you questions about our life. Don't automatically assume that he's trouble. Thirdly, I think doing some dishes might be a proper punishment… especially since you three are all ready back. Do you think so, Judy?" Aunt Judith nodded._

_"I think that might be a good chore to get done. Besides, if you all do your part, you should be done by the time dinner's ready," she replied, looking straight at her son. Jackson bit his lip._

_"Don't do this again. Is that clear?" Aunt Sam asked._

_"Clear as anything," Jo mumbled, leading the family back into the house._

_Jo stood in front of the mirror as she squeezed some toothpaste onto her toothbrush. Mark leaned over in the sink and spit out the minty substance._

_"Do you think Aunt Judith and Jackson are going to live with us forever?" she asked curiously. Mark shrugged._

_"I have no idea… why?"_

_"Ii can't help but think something bad is going to happen. I really love Jackson and Judith staying with us and I want them to stay forever, but there's a horrible feeling at the pit of my stomach that something will happen if they stay here any longer," she said. Mark shook his head._

_"Nothing is going to happen, Jo," he said, almost in a way that made her feel inferior to him. Jo gave him an angry look and was about to slug him on his arm, but there was a loud crash downstairs that diverted her attention. There were multiple shouts and they heard Aunt Judith's yell._

_Suddenly, there were sounds of feet stomping up the stairs and more yelling. Jo and Mark watched in horror as large policemen walked past the bathroom and towards Jackson's room._

_"Stop it!" Aunt Sam was screaming, running after them. Jo and Mark exchanged looks. "Leave them alone!" she screamed again. The first policeman burst into his bedroom door and yanked Jackson right out of his bed._

_"Leave him alone!" Jo yelled, joining her mother. Mark stood out side the bathroom door and watched as his cousin was removed from their home. "Jackson!" Jo yelled. Mark swallowed his pride and started crying along with his sister and mom._

_The policemen took Jackson by his arm and walked him down the stairs. They started to carry him out to the police car. "LEAVE… HIM… ALONE!" Jo screamed as loud as she could, at the top of her lungs. It was useless at that point. She stood up on the staircase and jumped on the back of one of the policemen._

_"Get this kid off me!" he yelled. The policeman behind him grabbed onto the neck of Jo's short and yanked her off, sending her flying backwards. She landed on the floor with a loud thud._

_"Let's get out of this psycho house," the policeman said, following the other four officers out the door. They walked out the back door, holding Jackson in their grip, and got into their cars._

_Mark quickly ran outside, running after them as they pulled away. He saw Jackson's sad face in the back window._

_"Jackson!" he yelled out as he slowly stopped running. That was the last time he saw his cousin's face._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Should we wake him up?" Taylor asked as the members of the wrecked plane, 29 Delta William November, stood around the camp. They all sat there watching Jackson toss and turn in his sleep. He was making whining noises and kicking somewhat.

"Might as well," Eric replied, stumbling up to him and grabbing Jackson's arm. Suddenly, Jackson started screaming in his sleep.

"No!" he shouted. "Leave me alone!" Eric jumped back and tightened his grip on Jackson's arm.

"Wake up!" Eric yelled at him. Jackson continued to trash and kick. He suddenly swung with his fist and clocked Eric right in the jaw. Eric let go and fell backwards, landing in the loose, hot sand.

"Are you okay?" Lex asked, running up behind Eric and trying to help him up. Eric pushed him off as he held his jaw and stomped back to the fire.

"See if that's the last time I help him again," he mumbled. Finally, Melissa got up and walked over to Jackson. She avoided touching him and startling him more.

"Jackson…" she whispered. "It's okay. Wake up." She very gently reached out with her hand and touched his shoulder. When he didn't freak out, she lightly shook him. "Jackson, it's all right. Wake up." He slowly stopped trashing and screaming. Jackson slowly opened his eyes to see everyone staring at him.

"What were you dreaming about?" Lex asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah, were you in the ring with Rocky or something?" Eric mumbled with sarcasm, still rubbing his throbbing jaw.

"It was nothing."

"Are you sure?" Nathan asked him. Jackson shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Just lay off," he snapped, getting up and wiping the sand off his pants. He walked back into the shade of the palm trees.

"_Meow_," Taylor said. "What's wrong with him?" Melissa sat there quietly and finally got up to go see if Jackson wanted a companion on his walk through the jungle.

"Jackson!" Melissa called trotting after him. Jackson stopped briefly and looked back to see her right behind him. "What's wrong?" she asked as she walked beside him, putting her hands in her shorts pockets. Jackson wouldn't look at her. He kept watching the trail in front of him.

"It's nothing."

"Stop saying that," Melissa told him. "There's obviously something bothering you." Jackson was silent. He just kept walking along the trail with the Asian-American girl following him. "Please… you know I can keep your secrets… and it will keep bothering you if you don't tell someone." Jackson stopped and suddenly turned to face her. He had tears forming in his eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry… I just can't talk about it. It's one of those things that I would rather keep personal," Jackson replied. He saw Melissa's disappointed face and winced. "But if I ever do want to share, it would be with you." A small smile spread across her face.

"Okay… I'll let you sort this out on your own I guess," she said. Melissa started to walk back towards camp. She couldn't help but feel that maybe Jackson didn't trust her as much anymore.

Jackson watched Melissa walk down the trail for a little bit and kept walking. He headed deeper into the jungle. Jackson finally cut through some brush and walked toward his newest hangout. He stood in front of a mysterious, giant, Pacific Island tree. Jackson climbed the wide, rough trunk and finally reached the top branch, where he could sit and watch over the camp.

"What are you doing?" Melissa's voice rang out, spooking Jackson and almost making him fall. He grabbed onto the branch to keep his balance and slowly looked down.

"I thought I told you to stop following me," he said somewhat annoyed, knowing his hiding place had been discovered.

"I turned around to ask you if you wanted some more water… what are you doing?" she asked. Jackson sighed.

"If you really must know, this is where I come to think." Melissa looked up at him from the ground.

"Can I come up and think with you?" she asked. Jackson shrugged as if it was an unspoken, '_Why not?' _Melissa carefully climbed up the trunk and Jackson reached down to guide her up. "This is really cool," she replied, sitting herself on the branch with Jackson. "Are you sure this won't fall?" Jackson nodded.

"Positive." There was a silence for multiple minutes.

"I really don't mean to be nosy, but you really-"

"Have you ever missed someone so much, you got a sick feeling… or… yearn in your stomach when you thought about them?" Jackson asked, interrupting her. Melissa looked at him, caught off-guard.

"What are you asking?"

"Have you ever looked at the sunset and prayed that when the sun came up in the morning, you would go back to how you were the day before?" Melissa didn't answer. She could tell Jackson was thinking about someone… and he wasn't really asking her opinion. He sighed. "I prayed that so many times and every day, life just keeps dropping me off in one more mess after another. Honestly, I'm glad I came here… but something tells me I wasn't ever meant to go back where I belong." Melissa looked up at him.

"Where do you think you belong?" she asked. Jackson slowly blinked, taking a deep breath.

"I belong back with my mother and my family. I belong back home in that shitty little farmhouse I loved so much. I want to go home…" he replied. Melissa nodded.

"I know, Jackson, we all do." He looked down at her.

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk earlier." She gave a small smile.

"That's okay. I was being too nosy earlier. You had things you wanted to deal with on your own," Melissa replied. Jackson nodded, still feeling guilty for the misunderstanding. She snuck a glance at him and her eyes met Jackson's.

"So do you have anyone back home who's missing you?" he asked.

"Oh…" she said, caught off-guard. "No… I don't have anyone." Jackson nodded and stayed silent. "And you obviously have someone, right?" Jackson sighed, looking back at the camp. He hesitated. "That's okay," she replied, leaning into Jackson a little bit. "I'm not rushing you." Jackson felt her warm skin on his arm and blushed some. If only things were as simple as they looked in movies and fairytales. Why couldn't Jackson just go back home with his family and live happily ever after, too?

"Mel, get up," Melissa heard Jackson's voice murmur. She gave a long yawn and looked around her. She was still in the tall tree, leaning against Jackson. She noticed his eyes were stubbornly fixed on something in the horizon.

"What is it?" she asked. Jackson didn't answer.

"Come on, get up. Let's get back to camp," he said, slightly nudging her off his arm and starting to climb back down the tree trunk.

"What's wrong?" Melissa asked again, sensing his urgency. She decided he was in too much of a hurry to speak and followed him down the tree. As soon as Jackson's toes touched dirt, he scampered down the trail and towards the camp. "Wait!" Melissa called after him. It didn't stop their fearless leader. He kept on running towards camp. Melissa did as best as she could to keep up, but noted it as a wasted effort.

"He started it!" Eric's voice yelled out.

"Start taking responsibility for your actions!" Nathan's voice shouted next. Melissa poked out from the trees to see Nathan and Eric standing mere inches from each other with scowls on their faces. Jackson jogged up to them.

"Hey, cut it out," he warned, trying to calm the boys. Nathan was obviously frustrated and turned to him.

"Stop acting all high and mighty and keep out of battles that aren't yours."

"This _is_ my battle to fight because the last few words to come out of your mouth yesterday were, 'We're in this together.' Now if we really are in this whole thing together, do you think one feud with another member of the family is none of my business?" Jackson asked, looking at Nathan with focused eyes. Nathan scowled at him.

"I'm telling you, stay out of this, Jackson."

"Can I at least know what's going on?" he asked. Nathan stomped his foot in the sand, leaving the angry Eric to talk to the now temper-rising Jackson.

"No, it's none of your business, for the last time," he snapped, pushing him slightly. Jackson looked down at his shoulder, where Nathan had pushed him. He looked back into Nathan's burning eyes and silently begged for a better way to end this.

"Don't cause anymore trouble than you all ready have, Nathan. I'm stronger than you are," Jackson tried warning. Nathan took it totally the wrong way.

"All right, tough guy," he said, drawing his arm back.

"Stop it!" Melissa yelled out, grabbing Nathan's arm. "This is psycho! You're trying to tear each other apart!" Nathan and Jackson looked at each other. Melissa stood there, studying them both for a moment. "We're trying to work together to survive and all you guys can think about is being guys and fighting!"

Suddenly, Daley came running up over the hill. "You guys, there's a helicopter on the horizon!" Eric perked up.

"We're saved! We're rescued! We're not gonna die!" he shouted excitedly. He ran over to Taylor and planted a wet, sloppy kiss on her cheek and galloped back down the beach to scream the news to others.

"We're going home?" Melissa mumbled to herself, exchanging glances with Jackson. Was this all over? Most importantly, would they ever see each other again after the incident?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"We're rescued!" Eric yelled to the youngest of the group. Lex looked up from his latest project.

"What?" he asked.

"We're rescued!" Eric repeated. "There's a helicopter on the horizon… look!" He grabbed onto Lex's arm and pulled him out from behind the plane. "There it is, right out there!" Lex squinted his eyes and peered out over the water.

"You're right! Tell everyone else and take these!" he instructed, going back into the plane and bringing out multiple mosquito nets.

"What are these for?" Eric asked, giving him an absurd stare.

"We need to attract attention. Tell everybody to meet on the beach and give everyone one of these. You'll see. Have Jackson build a quick, big fire and can you tell Taylor to grab some of her brightest clothes, please?" Lex said, handing Eric the mosquito nets. He nodded as if he were a zombie, his jaw slung open and his mind trying to process everything that Lex had spat out. Lex turned around and quickly scurried over to his radio.

"Hello?! Hello?! Mayday! Mayday! This is 29 Delta William November! Mayday!" he desperately said into the radio. Lex heard only static… no answer.

Eric raced up the beach to Daley and Taylor, who where sitting in the plane seats in the sand. "Take these," he said, out of breath, as he threw some mosquito nets at them. "Head to the beach, by the plane and hurry up." Daley gave him a look.

"Why?" she asked him. Eric smirked for a moment.

"Because there's a helicopter on the horizon," he said smugly.

"_WHAT?!_" Taylor screeched, shooting up from her seat and looking over the water. "Oh my god, we're saved!" she shouted. Eric laughed slightly.

"They're still out there a ways. Meet by the beach." Eric continued to jog down the beach. He finally caught up with Jackson, Nathan, and Melissa, who were all working on the new canopy for the fire.

"Here," he said, handing Melissa the last few mosquito nets. "There's a helicopter on the horizon and we need to draw attention. Oh yeah, Jackson, you need to build a big fire, fast. They're still far out, so we have time, but you still need to hurry up and meet on the beach, by the plane." They all looked at each other.

"Helicopter?" Jackson repeated. Eric nodded, pointing to the beach. They all followed his finger out, and sure enough, there was a figure on the horizon. With no more questions asked, everyone went off to do what they were told. Jackson headed towards the beach to build a fire and Nathan and Melissa took their mosquito nets and headed off to the plane.

"Are you getting anything?" Jackson asked, appearing in the doorway of the plane. Lex looked up from his radio.

"No, only static." Jackson shook his head and gave a small sigh.

"We have to pick up something soon," he told Lex, looking back out at the helicopter. Lex picked up the radio again.

"Mayday, mayday. This is 29 Delta William November. We have crash landed on an island. Mayday. We are alive. I repeat, we are alive," Lex said into the radio. He gave Jackson a look of disappointment. "I don't think this is working." Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"This is Flying Gar 2. We copy your distress signal, 29 DWN. Please give your location," the voice said. Jackson watched Lex's eyes light up. Lex and Jackson both grabbed for the radio at the same time.

"Hello! Hello! We're on a Pacific desert island somewhere. We see a helicopter off in the distance. If that helicopter is Flying Gar 2, you're only about 10 miles north. Please, hurry if you can," Jackson said. Lex shot him a look and raced out of the plane. All the teens were galloping along the beach, waving their mosquito nets… almost.

Daley was standing in one place, waving her arms. Eric was lying under a palm tree. Melissa was slowly running along the waterline with the net over her head. Taylor was standing in the sand, picking at her nails, with her net by her feet. They were all giving half-hearted attempts at getting rescued.

"Well?" Melissa asked, running up to Jackson excitedly. He flashed a brief smirk.

"Don't give your hopes up. We think we have them on the radio, but I know I don't want to get disappointed," he warned her. Melissa nodded.

"Well I'm going to. What did they say?" she pleaded to know.

"They say they're heading this way and to sit tight. Mel, I'm not sure why, but I have a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. This doesn't feel right for some reason," he replied. Jackson looked deep into her dark brown eyes. "But if I'm wrong… and we are rescued… I don't want to forget about you." Melissa felt a small smile crawl across her face. She felt goofy inside, melting at Jackson's charm.

"I don't want to either," she whispered.

"Look, I know I said no romance… but think of this as a promise from me to you," Jackson quietly said, kissing her gently on her lips. He got up and walked back into the plane to help Lex.

Melissa wanted to scream and flail her arms with joy. She could hardly contain her excitement. Had that really just happened? Was Jackson really into her? She felt giddier than Taylor right before a tanning session at the moment.

"It's coming in everyone, hold up your nets!" Daley shouted, seeing the helicopter change course and start to fly in their direction.

"I can't believe this is it," Nathan said to Daley. She nodded in agreement.

"29 DWN, we see you and we are scouting for a landing," the voice said over the radio again. Lex jumped to his feet and glanced out over the horizon. It was true. The white and black helicopter was close to the beach. All the teenagers were running frantically around the beach now.

"Move out of the way!" Lex called to them. He ran back inside the airplane and tended to the radio again. "Flying Gar 2, you are clear to land," he replied. Lex ran back and joined the rest of the teens on the beach as they stood around, yelling and celebrating.

The helicopter circled over the island for a little bit, picking out their spot to land, and carefully setting down on the far end of the beach, where the trees were fewer. The survivors ran towards the helicopter eagerly as a pilot climbed out, followed by a slender black and white dog.

"Hello!" Daley called out, running to the pilot as the engine died and the helicopter blades slowed. The pilot turned around and they were surprised to see the pilot was a woman.

She looked young, about 15 or 16, and dirty blonde hair, accented with light blonde highlights, which barely touched her shoulders. She had bright blue eyes and an athletic body. She sported a light gray hoodie and faded denim shorts.

Her companion looked like he was some type of Golden Retriever mix. He wore a red bandana around his neck and he had light brown eyes. He had light brown and gold-colored fur all the way down his back and some creamy-white on his belly and legs, as well as parts of his face. The dog was skinny, maybe weighing only about 40 or 45 pounds. His tail was constantly wagging.

The pilot scanned over her audience and flashed a white smile. "Wow, how long have you guys been on this island?" she asked with a cheer in her voice.

"Too long," Eric huffed, rolling his eyes.

"So who are you?" Nathan asked, looking her over.

"Oh, sorry, I'm…" she paused as she went to shake their hands. Her eyes were locked with Jackson's. "Cojack!" she shouted. Both their eyes lit up and Jackson got a big smile across his face.

"Jo!" he shouted, running to hug her. She laughed as he hugged her tightly, picking her up and swinging her some. Jackson's whole personality seemed to change and everyone watched in surprise, amazement, and confusion.

"It's been forever!" she shouted to him. Jackson nodded.

"I know! I missed you so much!" He slowly stopped playing with her and looked back at the group, who were all staring at them. Jackson cleared his throat and tried to swallow his smile, but it stayed, planted firmly on his face. "Uh, this is Johanna… she's my… we haven't seen each other in… a while." He stood there, not quite knowing the words to say without having to explain his horrible and quite traumatizing past.

Nathan was the first to speak up. "Well, welcome to the camp."

"Can you take us home?" Taylor asked desperately. Johanna shrugged off her rudeness with a polite laugh.

"Oh, yeah… I'll have to make a few trips though. Usually, our choppers only carry two people and a few several pounds of gear. Well, when are you guys going to be ready to leave?" Jo asked, looking at them.

"Right away," Daley answered. "Thank you _so_ much! You don't know how scary this has been getting… being stranded for so long with no knowledge at all of when anyone will be looking for you."

"Hey," Lex suddenly interrupted. Jo and the others turned their attention to the 10-year-old. "Where were you going?" Jo looked back at her chopper for a quick second and turned her attention back to him.

"I was headed back home from a touring job in Maui for a few city-slickers. Why do you ask?" Lex paused for a moment.

"Are you part of the search and rescue team looking for us?" he asked. The group was silent, waiting for a response or answer from their new friend. Jo hesitated.

"Um… I work part-time as a search and rescue assist and I haven't gotten the alert… but I'm sure they called someone. They wouldn't let a bunch of kids go missing and not let it go unnoticed. Someone is looking for you guys," she assured them. "So… how have you guys survived this long?" Jackson smirked.

"Would you like me to show you around Camp 29 Down?" he asked, putting his arm around Jo's neck and leading her towards the fire pit. Everyone else started to go back to the camp and prepare to leave.

Melissa stood there, watching Jackson lead Jo around with s big grin on his face. She felt something in her that she hadn't felt before. She didn't like it either.

"Someone looks jealous," Taylor teased, standing behind Melissa and picking up on her sour face. Melissa suddenly snapped out of it and turned around to face the blonde girl.

"What?" she asked.

"You're jealous," Taylor repeated with an evil grin. Melissa rolled her eyes.

"I am most definitely _not_ jealous," she said. "She's just an old friend of Jackson's." Taylor nodded, still teasing Melissa.

"I'm sure that's why he suddenly forgot all about you when she got here." Taylor walked away, sporting a devious smile. She turned around, following the group to the camp and left Melissa standing there, speechless. Taylor was right and she knew it.

"So where have you been all these years?" Jo asked Jackson as they walked through the jungle, to Jackson's hiding place. Jo's dog, Summit followed intently, wagging his tail the whole way. Jackson hesitated, looking down at the trail and thinking back to when things were so much simpler and happier.

"Oh, um… after I… left the house, I went to live with multiple foster families… tried running away from multiple foster families… ended up in this rich private school… went on a field trip right before my CDC worker could send me away to juvi… crash-landed on a desert island with a bunch of rich kids… and now I'm relieved to be talking to you," he answered, somewhat sarcastically. Jo sighed.

"We were really kind of torn apart after you left. Aunt Sam and Judith got into a big argument and your mom moved out. Honestly, I haven't heard from her since. Uncle John came home and things aren't quite the same. He barely talks to Mark and me, but I know Aunt Sam is really trying to give him another chance." Jackson gave a sarcastic laugh and shook his head. "Yeah, I know," Jo continued. "I don't have much respect for the man left after he abandoned us, but he really did a lot for the family before he left. He built the tree house, he got us into reading, and he really did do a lot. That's about the only reason I'm putting up with him." Jackson nodded.

Melissa watched from behind a big palm tree, in some brush. She wasn't the nosy or spy type, but this was an emergency and she wasn't about to let Jackson get taken from her. She tried listening to what they were saying, but it was near impossible. They were too far away and they had their backs to her.

"Are we going to leave all this stuff here?" Eric asked as he picked up some of the gear from camp. Nathan shrugged and Eric looked up at Daley, who was quickly walking towards the girls' tent. "Daley, are we supposed to take this stuff with us?" he asked again. She ignored him, walking by. Eric scrunched his nose and finally got up, going to pack his own stuff.

Melissa angrily walked through the camp, storming into the girls' tent. Daley looked up at her for a moment as Melissa came in and went back to packing. Melissa sat on her sleeping bag, next to Daley.

"What's wrong?" Daley asked, sensing frustration in her friend. Melissa sighed.

"Do you think Jackson and that girl, Jo, dated ever?" she asked. Daley picked her head up, knowing what this was all about… Melissa was jealous. She briefly smirked, remembering how Melissa had _just_ made up with Taylor over the whole Jackson thing, and now she was back to where she started… only with someone she had never met.

"Are you still not over him?" Daley asked, trying not to sound mean.

"No… and now I'm competing with a girl who flies a helicopter," she answered glumly. Daley stopped packing and sat by her.

"Look… I know this whole thing is probably really frustrating… but soon, we'll all be back home and you can continue things with Jackson again. It sounds like those two haven't seen each other in a good few years, so the chances of them seeing each other at school are minimal. Cheer up, Melissa, he won't forget about you." Daley got up, going out the tent to retrieve more of her stuff. Melissa sat and thought about what she said and tried to think about coming home to see her family and to see Jackson at school again.

The group gathered around the fire pit and picked up more of their stuff, sitting around after they finished. "So this is it," Nathan said, looking around the camp in disbelief. After all that, it was finally over.

"I guess so," Nathan answered.

They all looked up and saw Jackson and Jo walking in. Summit raced over to Eric and licked the teen's face, sitting down beside him. Eric stuck his tongue out in disgust and gave the dog a look.

"Sick!" he shouted, wiping his face off. "That's why I hate dogs." Everyone gave a small chuckle.

"Well, is everyone ready to go?" Jo asked aloud.

"Wait!" Lex shouted from over by Jo's helicopter. "I think you have a problem." Jackson followed Jo and a few others over to Lex. He was bent down by the bottom of the helicopter. "Look," he said, pointing to some liquid in the sand.

"The fuel line…" Jackson mumbled to himself before Lex could explain anymore. Jackson bent down next to him and inspected the aircraft. "He's right, there's something wrong with the fuel line." Jackson stood up and gave Jo a scared look. "Jo… I think you're stuck here with us, too," he said grimly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Cojack, I can't be stuck here! I have things to do, people to see, I have to go to work, I have to take care of Mark, I have to take care of my animals, and I can't stay here. Jackson, this is bad…this is scary," Jo said frantically. Jackson gave her a look of sorrow.

"I'm so sorry, Johanna, but I can't possibly fix this without the right tools. You're leaking fuel… that's a big problem," he explained. She looked at him with a sense of fear.

"I know… I know all that stuff… that's why I'm freaking out. What are we going to do? How are we going to be able to get home?" she asked. She was panicked, yes, but she made it funny somehow. Jackson laughed slightly and held out his arms. She walked over and hugged him, hoping to find comfort in him.

"It will be okay," he replied. "We'll get off this island… and in the meantime, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." They stood there for a few moments, not even noticing that Melissa was watching with flaming green eyes.

"He was hugging her!" Melissa said angrily, stomping back into camp. She knew she had to prepare for trouble when the helicopter's fuel line broke. Jo was stuck here… stuck with her… stuck with Jackson. No way was Melissa going to let Jackson get away from her again. It wasn't fair… she liked him first… before anyone. And now some stranger was trying to pry him away, all his interest wrapped up in Jo.

Jo followed Jackson back to his big tree in the jungle, where they climbed up and looked out over the beach and over the camp. "I'm really scared," she whispered to him. "I've never been away from home except for that time when you and I went over to Logan's house and stayed the night. That was nothing compared to this though. It didn't involve foraging for food and boiling water. Remind me again why you boil water?" she asked. Jackson smirked slightly.

"Oh, trust me… boiled water is better. No bacteria… no viruses… no puking… no diarrhea…" he trailed off and Jo gave him a weird look.

"Is it better if I don't ask?" Jackson nodded.

"Way better," he replied. She laughed with him some and they both watched the waves splash onto the beach, rolling in and out.

"You know… I realized after you left… that you were the one that held us together. You kept our family from falling apart. It was those little things you did that really made the difference and I want to thank you for it," Jo said. Jackson laughed slightly.

"That wasn't me, Jo," he told her.

"Yes it was. After you were taken away, we did noting but go downhill from there. Besides, you made a real impact on Mark and me too. I used to beat anybody that called me other than Johanna. When you called me Jo, it made me feel special. That's why I hardly ever go by anything else now." Jackson smiled.

"Kind of like Cojack… only it was backwards for me because you were the only one I wanted to call me that. If I couldn't hear you say it, no one could say it," he said, realizing later how mushy that sounded.

"Aww." She put her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. "Cojack missed me," she said like she was speaking to a baby or something. Jackson couldn't help but burst out laughing at her.

"Slightly," he replied with a goofy smile.

"Jackson," someone's voice called out. They looked down and saw Melissa standing at the bottom of the tree.

"That's another person who's found my tree," Jackson mumbled to himself. "Hey, Melissa. What's going on?" She crossed her arms, a pout-like scowl planted firmly on her face.

"I need to talk to you," she said. Jackson nodded.

"All right, we'll talk tonight, at dinner then."

"No, I need to talk to you now," Melissa said, cutting him off slightly. Jackson and Jo shot each other a look.

"Okay," Jackson said uneasily, jumping down off the tree branch. He followed Melissa out of the brush and onto the trail they had worn in the jungle. "What's up?" he asked, concerned with the way she was acting. Melissa shook her head with anger.

"Look, I could see your thing with Abby. I could understand one crush. Then, you had this thing with Taylor, which was understandable too because you two became friends. I got over both of them, but now this thing with that Jo girl who I don't even know? Jackson, you're just a genuine man whore if you ask me. At first, you made me feel upset, but now I feel just plain stupid and used. If you want to know now, we are no longer friends," she said in a rather threatening tone. She turned around and started storming off towards camp. Jackson stood there with his mouth hung wide open.

"Wait, Melissa, what? No, it's not like that! Melissa, come back! Melissa!" It was no use. She was stomping back towards camp. Jackson knew this had to be some kind of misunderstanding. He raced through the brush until he caught up with her on the beach.

"_What_ do you think is going on?" Jackson asked Melissa. She gave an angry sigh, turning from him and walking back in another direction. Jackson huffed and ran back after her again. "It's not what you think, Melissa. This has to be a big misunderstanding. Let me explain myself," Jackson said. Melissa turned around quickly to face him.

"I'm not interested in a word you say because honestly, I don't care to listen to your lies. I know what's going on. You're the biggest man whore I ever met and you just want to get into another girl's pants!" she yelled at the conclusion of her sentence. Jackson was floored.

"Is _that_ what you think happened between me and Taylor?" he snapped back. Melissa just kept walking and ignored him.

"It's not what I _think_ happened, it's what I _know_ happened," she said once before leaving Jackson with himself. He stood there, speechless and not quite sure if this was all real.

Melissa started racing across the beach until she reached a peaceful place where she could quietly think and cry to herself. This had all seemed so surreal, but it was happening. It was all real.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Melissa glared across the campfire at Jackson. She saw the flames come up and frame his face. _Satan, _she thought to herself. He sat there with an angry glare. Jackson watched Melissa eying him with her scowl. _Crybaby, _he thought to himself. Jo watched the both of them stare silently at each other with hatred burning in their eyes.

"Okay," Nathan said, walking up to meet the rest of the group. "Dinnertime." Daley and Nathan walked around the campfire, passing out small coconut dishes with small servings of macaroni and cheese in them.

"What gives?" Eric yelled out, "I had more macaroni in here last week. What's with the cut-down?" Daley sighed.

"Since there are more of us, we each get a little less food. We have to conserve it and make it last," she explained to him. Everyone turned to look at Jo. She played with her hair uneasily, smiling a little to be polite. She knew what they were all thinking.

Just then, Summit came trotting up the beach with a big mango in his mouth.

"Hey!" Taylor shouted. "I just picked those this morning you thief! Give it back!" She got up and took off running after the crazed pooch as he thoroughly enjoyed running away from her, towards the sunset.

"Who was in charge of guarding the fruit this time?" Daley asked, annoyed.

"I didn't know we _had_ to guard the fruit," Eric responded. He shot Jo another quick stare. She folded her hands in her lap and scooted a little bit closer to Jackson. Melissa clenched her teeth some as she saw Jackson rest his arm on Jo's shoulder, as if comforting her.

Finally, Melissa couldn't hold it in any longer. She just simply couldn't control herself. She stood up in front of the group and stole everyone's attention.

"Look, I think we've all been more than generous with each other, but I think we should draw the line here. I mean, what will happen when Jory, Ian, Abby, and Captain Russell all come back? What do we do then? Do we cut our servings in half _again_? Do we have to share blankets when we run out? We don't have enough supplies. I think we need to do something," Melissa replied.

"Melissa," Jackson said, scowling.

"I think so too," Eric butted in. "What's ours is ours and I don't think that anyone else should be able to basically steal from us. Survival of the fittest, right?"

"Eric," Jackson warned. He glanced at Jo who was looking down at the ground. "You guys, this is just stupid," Jackson replied, starting to tell them off.

"No," Jo interrupted, "it's okay… I understand. I'll leave tomorrow morning."

"But Jo-"

"No, Jackson. They're right. It's not fair that they have to share everything they worked really hard for," she said.

"Jo, this is stupid. You can stay here. You're just as stranded as the rest of us." She shot Jackson a look and shook her head.

"This is how it has to be," she whispered before walking back to the tents. Jackson looked around the camp at the long faces of his fellow survivors.

"You know she could die out there. I hope you guys are all really happy," he remarked, running after Jo. The group was completely silent. Daley looked at Melissa and Melissa looked at Eric. Eric looked at Nathan and Nathan watched Taylor chase Summit around the beach, grabbing for the mango in his mouth.

" Now I feel really guilty," Nathan quietly said.

"Oh don't say that now. We can't turn back," Eric told him. Nathan nodded, really wishing democracy wasn't the only way they could get things done around here.

"Jo, wait!" Jackson called as he ran after her, "They didn't mean that! Jo, please come back." She turned around, frustrated, and looked him in his bright, shining eyes. "They didn't mean what they said," Jackson whispered once more. Jo shook her head.

"No, Jackson, they did and they want me gone. What else am I going to do? Melissa is totally right; I'm an outsider here and I can't just waltz in and expect to be fed and watered. I mean, you guys have worked so hard for all this and I just came in here with no effort at all. It really isn't fair to the group. I'm sorry, Cojack but I can't stay here," she said simply and started walking back to get her little bit of stuff.

"Johanna Emmett, you will die out there if you go alone!" Jackson shouted.

"Well, I can't please your soiled little rich kid friends so I'll just be finding some other way to do this on my own," she said. Jackson shook his head.

"Pleasing others is like holding your breath when trying to breathe," he replied. "You can't ever please everyone. Secondly, those kids may all be spoiled brats, yeah, but they're hardly my friends."

"Thanks Jackson," he heard someone say from behind him. Jackson turned around to see Nathan standing there. "I was coming to apologize to you and invite you and Jo back to the campfire but… spoiled rich kids, huh? Thanks. Feel free to pack up your stuff in the tent and get everything of yours from around the camp. I thought we were actually friends, Jackson," Nathan replied, turning and leaving after giving him a dirty look. Jackson sighed and leaned his head back, running his fingers through his thick, blonde hair.

"What'll you do now?" Jo asked him, her hand resting on her hip. Jackson shot her a look.

"I don't know but it will probably be best if we stick together," he said back. Jo put her hand on Jackson's back and comforted him as they walked.

Jackson and Jo walked along the island on the edge of the water with the sand in their toes. The beach was so quiet and peaceful. Nothing seemed to interfere with the moment expect maybe the occasional strong wave would knock Jackson and Jo off balance.

"I'm sorry I got you kicked out of camp," Jo finally said after many minutes of silence. Jackson shrugged.

"It's all right," he replied. "My mouth was bound to get me kicked out of the camp eventually." Jo looked at him.

"Really?"

"Probably not," Jackson said, smiling. He put his hands in his pockets and kept walking.

"You know, when we do get off this island, what will happen to us?" Jo asked. Jackson shot her a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like… do we go on living our lives as we were… or now that we found each other, do we try to change things?" Jo asked her cousin. Jackson was unsure of the answer. "I know if John sees you or Aunt Judith, he'll get really angry. I'm not sure if I trust him again yet." Jackson nodded.

"Yeah, I wouldn't trust him either. I'll tell you what, Jo. There is no force on Earth or in Heaven that keep me from seeing you and Mark again. If there is a way to stay in contact, we'll find it," he told her. Jo smiled.

"You always made me feel better," she replied. Jackson nodded.

"You always made me feel loved," he said back. They exchanged smiles and kept walking down the beach.

Melissa slowly walked into the boys' tent, looking over everything. She glanced at both Eric's and Nathan's stuff but she felt almost depressed when she didn't see Jackson's stuff there. Melissa suddenly spotted Jackson's favorite beanie hat on the floor, by the edge of the tent. She felt the hat between her fingers.

Melissa was so torn. Her mind kept telling her that she hated Jackson and that he was a cold-blooded gold digger but her heart kept telling her how much she cared for him and that she should have faith in him. There were so many emotions flowing together at once. She didn't know whether to hug Jackson or hate him.

"Mel?" she heard Nathan's voice say softly. She turned and saw him standing by the opening of the tent. "What are you doing in here?" he asked. Melissa suddenly burst into tears and threw her arms around him.

"I can't help it," she whined, "I miss him so much." Nathan put his arm on her back.

"It's okay, Mel, we all do." They hugged each other for a few moments until Nathan gently pulled away to look Melissa in her eyes. "Look, we've discussed it a little bit and we think we may have been a little too harsh on Jackson and his cousin, Jo. You obviously think so too, so would you like to tag along with us while we look for them?" he offered. Melissa suddenly looked at Nathan with serious eyes.

"Wait, what did you say?" she asked. Nathan looked at her.

"What?"

"What you said a minute ago… Jackson and Jo are cousins?" Melissa asked, surprised. Nathan nodded.

"Yeah, Jackson told me that when we were fishing the other day. They haven't seen each other in years." Melissa gasped, putting her hand over her mouth.

"Oh my god," she mumbled to herself.

"What is it?" Nathan asked. Tears started forming in Melissa's eyes.

"Oh my god, Nathan, I've made a big mistake. We _have_ to find Jackson… and we have to find him soon before he and Jo go into the jungle and get themselves lost. I made a huge mistake," she said. Nathan took her by her hand.

"Well, come on. Let's rally the search party and you can tell me what happened on the way there."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Summit, come here!" Jo called out to her crazy Golden Retriever. Summit galloped back over to his master and her cousin. "I don't want you to get lost," she murmured to the pooch. Jackson walked up behind her, stepping on the rocks in the river.

"Watch it," he said to her, "These rocks are slippery." Jo looked around them. They had started heading towards the West part of the island, following the tiny river downstream. They were underneath the canopy of the trees and right in front of the mountain. Jo nodded, watching her step. Summit trotted up beside the stream and chased after a bird he saw sitting up ahead.

"Summit, get back here," Jo said to him again. Summit continued to chase after the bird and send it flying away. He furiously barked at the bird, running around crazily. "_Summit, _stop it!" she yelled. Summit ignored her and kept trotting along.

"Jo!" Jackson shouted out. He darted towards her just as an enormous rock came tumbling down the side of the mountain. Jo felt Jackson's body collide with hers and she hit the ground.

"Jackson!" she yelled. She looked up just in time to watch the huge rockslide swallow her cousin's body. "_Jackson_!" she screamed in horror. The rocks kept falling and all she could do was sit there helplessly. Finally, the rocks stopped falling and there was silence in the valley. Jo looked up from her huddle by the side of the mountain. "Cojack?" she asked quietly. Jo stood up slowly. She saw Summit slowly warily walk around the pile of rocks.

"Jackson! Johanna! Summit!" Melissa called out. She looked over at Nathan and saw him give her the same disappointed look. Everyone knew daylight was running out fast and time was of the essence. Melissa turned her head and called out again, "Jackson!"

"We'll find them, don't worry," Daley said, walking up behind her.

"It's my entire fault," Melissa said quietly to herself again. Daley patted her on her back.

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is. I was too quick to judge Jo, I didn't listen to anything Jackson was trying to tell me, and jealousy got in the way of trust. I was way too naïve. I should have listened," Melissa replied. Daley didn't know what to say. She was right. Melissa _had_ been very childish and quick about the whole thing.

"But when we find them, you'll all be able to say your apologies and then we can go back to how we all were… friends," Taylor said to them. Suddenly, Lex pushed his way through the group, jogging up ahead of everyone.

"I thought I heard something on the other side of the mountain. It sounded like a major rock slide but if I'm wrong, we could risk running out of time and they could get a big lead ahead of us. I'm not sure if we would be going in the right direction or getting further away."

"Well, it's not like we have a whole lot of choices here, captain. I say we go all or nothing," Eric said aloud. You could tell everyone was considering it.

"Eric, we're dealing with life and death here. Jackson and Jo didn't have nearly enough supplies to last them if they get lost or don't find help. I think we should stick to the North East side of the island. Knowing Jackson, he'd want to have full access to fish and to coconuts growing on the palm trees by the bay," Nathan replied. The group started heading towards the beach.

"Jackson… Jackson, can you hear me?" Jo called out. She dug through the big pile of rocks, but most of them were extremely difficult to move. "Cojack, hang in there," she told him, "I'm going to get help!" Jo got up and looked over at Summit. He stood there, looking alarmed and confused.

"Summit, go get help, okay? You've got to go find the others! Please, Summit." Jo took her torn jacket off her waist and placed it in between the Golden Retriever's teeth. He clamped it tightly in his jaw. "You have to go find help, Summit. Hurry, go find the others." She paused. "Go find Eric, yeah, go get Eric!" she told him. Summit suddenly turned around and dashed off in another direction. Jo sat there with a desperate look of plea on her face. "Please hurry," she whispered to herself.

Jo turned back to the rock pile and quickly tried digging her cousin out before the rocks crushed Jackson's body or before he ran out of air.

"Jackson! Johanna!" the group yelled over the jungle.

"Ah, my ankles hurt!" Taylor yelled out, overpowering all of them. She leaned on a tree, grabbing onto Eric by his shirt collar for balance. Nathan heard the princess's cry and rolled his eyes. This _had_ to have been her fiftieth complaint since they left the camp.

"I think we should head further towards the other side of the beach. Jackson would stick by the bay where he could fish," Nathan replied aloud.

"Or would he stick towards the jungle where there's more vegetation and fruit?" Lex asked.

"Jackson was sick of fruit. He'd be yearning for fish… and I don't think he'd take that chance in the jungle," Daley said. "I feel we have the best chance combing the beach." Nathan nodded, agreeing finally with her. They started steering further away from the jungle.

"What is…?" Melissa started to say. They all looked up and saw a dog sprinting out of the jungle. It was Summit. He was barking wildly and racing towards them as fast as the pup's skinny legs could carry him. Summit finally reached the edge of the beach and honed in on Eric. He ran panting heavily with a piece of cloth dangling from his mouth.

"Oh no," Eric mumbled. "No… bad dog, no." Summit kept galloping towards Eric with an almost silly grin on his face. Eric shook his head and looked back at Summit. "No way! Don't even think about it!" Eric yelped before Summit leaped onto him, licking Eric's face like a mad dog. The group all smiled.

"What's this?" Lex said, picking up the piece of cloth that Summit had dropped right before he lunged onto Eric. Lex studied the cloth.

"That's mine! Jackson made me lend it to Jo! She was wearing it when they took off!" Taylor shouted, her ankle miraculously healing so she could jump up and retrieve the piece of her jacket. Summit stopped licking Eric's face for a moment to look up at the kids. Had they gotten the message?

Summit leaped up and started barking furiously again. He jumped up and down, trying to show them. The group all looked at him like he was the craziest mutt ever. Summit grabbed the piece of the jacket out of frustration and took off running again.

"Should we follow him?" Nathan asked. Summit gave one more sharp bark and galloped back off towards the jungle.

"It doesn't matter. That dog would follow Jackson and Johanna to the ends of the earth. He's our best chance of finding them. Come on!" Daley shouted, leading the troops towards the depths of the jungle.

Jo dug away a heavy rock from the pile and saw her cousin's bloody and bruised face. She gently ran her fingers over his defined jaw bones and his chunky cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Jackson," she whispered to him. "I never meant to get you into any of this… but I promise I'll get you out of here. Hang on, okay? We have to get out of here. We have to make it home. We have to read many more books with Mark. We have to set everything right back home. Please, Jackson, hang on," she pleaded to her cousin. Jackson still laid there, motionless with no response. Jo started to cry. She cried for everything. She cried for her family, for her friends, for her life. Jo broke down and cried. She dug out Jackson's hand and held it tightly, praying hope would arrive soon so she could save her cousin's life.

"Jo!" she heard someone cry. "Johanna!" She looked up and saw Summit running at her, leading the group towards her. Jo smiled, impressed that Jackson's friends had listened to her.

"Guys…" she said, stunned. "You came."

"Of course," Melissa said, walking up beside her, "We're a family no matter what. We have to be there for each other." Jo and Melissa both smiled. They finally hugged each other with a truce.

"I hate to break this up but um… does he look like he needs help to you?" Nathan asked, walking up to look at Jackson. Everyone jumped up, their minds thinking back to the severely injured Jackson.

"Help me get these rocks off him. They're extremely heavy," Jo said, trying to pry another rock off him. Melissa nodded, motioning to the rest of the group. Everyone quickly rushed into help. They all gripped onto a rock and pulled as hard as they could. The rock finally rolled off of Jackson's fragile body and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Hurry, get that rock off his leg!" Daley shouted. The group combined all their strength to push the boulder. It finally rolled off, falling to the ground.

"Carefully, let's carry him back to camp. Taylor and Lex, you two run ahead and clear the way through the brush," Nathan instructed. Everyone nodded and gently picked up Jackson's body, carrying it through the think, damp jungle, back towards camp. Carefully, Nathan, Daley, Eric, Jo, and Melissa carried his body with Taylor, Lex, and Summit leading the way. It was almost fifteen minutes later when they finally reached camp.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"How's he doing?" Melissa asked, peeking into the tent. Jo looked up from her medical book and emergency first aid kit. She smiled and looked back at Jackson who was sleeping, tucked into a sleeping bag.

Jackson still looked rough, although he was a hundred times better. His lip had a cut through it and he had multiple little cuts on his face. The biggest was the one across the bridge of his nose. It stretched from the side of his nose all the way to above his eye. Jackson also had many bruises blanketing his body and dried up blood everywhere. He had gone through a lot and it looked that way too.

"He'll be alright," Jo replied, "Maybe a little sore and achy in the morning, but he'll make a full recovery." Melissa smiled, sitting down beside Jo and looking over Jackson. She looked back at Jo with sorry eyes.

"I apologize for being so childish. I really jumped to conclusions and I was too quick to judge. I'm really sorry, Jo. I was wrong about you. When Jackson wakes up, I'm going to apologize to him too," Melissa replied. Jo nodded.

"It's okay, I'm sorry too." Melissa looked confused.

"What are you sorry for?"

"Just… everything. I'm sorry for causing all the hubbub in the first place," Jo said sadly. Melissa shook her head.

"Trying to help seven castaways isn't causing anything what so ever. You tried to help us… and I should be thankful to have you here. You're really an angel, Jo… besides, you saved Jackson's life." Jo smiled with embarrassment.

"I don't think it was all me who saved him," she said, "It was you guys too. Anyway, thank you, Melissa." They gave each other a smile and Jo breathed a sigh of relief. It was almost as if Melissa was truly giving her a nod of approval. This was the first time Jo really felt like she belonged.

"I hate to break up the moment, but I got to pee like a race horse," Jackson said, looking at them both with a smirk. Jo and Melissa both started laughing and Jo playfully pushed Jackson's arm. "Will you help me up?" he asked with an innocent smile.

"Yes, you jerk. Were you awake that whole time?" Jo asked. Jackson nodded with a foolish giggle and Jo shook her head, helping him up off his sleeping bag.

"Are you okay to walk on your own?" Melissa asked. "Wasn't your leg pretty bad off?" Jackson nodded and Jo turned to her.

"We have a system. I help him out to the woods and stand him up against a tree, then leave. I don't stick around for anything else," she said with a laugh. Melissa laughed with her and moved so Jackson could put his weight on Jo and walk out of the tent. Melissa sat there, looking around the tent at the all the medical tape and bloody bandages. She shivered for a moment. It looked like it was enough blood to have filled a coconut, but Melissa knew it wasn't that much. She liked to exaggerate some things.

"Well?" someone said aloud, making Melissa jump. Nathan was poking his head into the tent. "Are you and Jo cool?" he asked. Melissa gave a slight smile.

"Yes, everything's fine," she said. Nathan nodded and went back to work. Melissa sat there and looked around, waiting for Jo and Jackson to get back. Suddenly, something caught her eye. Melissa reached for a photograph folded in the side pocket of Jackson's camouflage backpack. She unfolded it and looked the photo over. It was obviously very old; it was at least ten years. There were three kids standing in a forest; two boys and one girl. Two of them looked about the same age but the one sitting in the front, on the ground looked about two years older. The younger boy and younger girl had their arms around each other and they seemed to be laughing. Suddenly, Melissa realized who the two kids were… their names were Cody Jackson and Johanna Emmett.

"What are you doing?" Jo asked as she walked in with Jackson slung over her shoulder. She helped him lay down on his sleeping bag and turned her attention back to Melissa.

"I was just looking. I don't mean to be nosy," she apologized, putting the picture back.

"It's okay," Jo said, reaching out to stop her. Melissa smiled.

"So is that…" she started to ask. Jo laughed and gently took the picture.

"Yeah, that's Cojack and I. We were so young then."

"Let me see," Jackson mumbled, reaching his hand out. Jo set the picture in his hand and he laughed as he examined it. "I remember that day," he whispered to himself. "It was a week before I was taken away." Suddenly, Jo's smile faded and Melissa looked at them both.

"Am I missing something?" Melissa asked gently. Jackson nodded with reluctance.

"Yeah... it's a long story. Basically, I was taken away from my mother when I was younger," he replied.

"May I ask why you were taken away… if it doesn't bother you too much?" she asked, catching Jackson's glance at Jo. He shook his head.

"No, it's okay," Jackson said, hesitating. "Um… well, my father died a few years ago and he was the main source of income in the family. My mother was a stay-at-home mom and after my dad died, she really struggled to get a hold on a consistent source of money. She would be gone all day at work, trying hard to work enough to pay rent. It didn't leave much else money for food or anything else, as you can imagine… so we basically were broke and my mom didn't have enough money to feed us. My Aunt Sam jumped on it and tried to help us but it was too late… and so Child Services came and picked me up." Melissa gasped.

"Do you get to see your mom?" she asked, concerned. Jackson nodded.

"Once every week for half an hour," he said. Melissa frowned. "It isn't as much as I would have hoped for, but I'm thankful to be able to see her." She nodded, looking into Jackson's blue eyes. He gave a slight smile back, catching her watching him. She smiled back.

"Well, I'm going to get something to drink. Want me to change your bandages before you go?" Jo asked him. Jackson shook his head.

"No, I'll be fine, Jo. Go get a drink." She smiled, getting up off the edge of his sleeping bag and walked out of the tent. It was a second or two before Jackson looked at Melissa and they spoke.

"So after all this time you thought Jo and I…" he trailer off, laughing some.

"What?" Melissa asked. "Anyone could make the mistake." He shrugged.

"I guess so. I still think it's kind of funny… the whole thing. Don't you?" he asked, laughing some more. Melissa couldn't help but smile. They sat there for a moment in silence and finally locked eyes. Jackson slowly leaned over and gently pecked Melissa on her cheek. She sat there in surprise and looked at him, shocked.

"What was that for?" she asked. Jackson smirked.

"Think of it as sort of a promise… that I'll call you when we get to the other side," he said. Melissa cocked her head slightly to the left.

"The other side?" Jackson smiled.

"When we're rescued," he told her.

"Ahh," Melissa said, nodding. "So you have hope again now?" He looked down at his stomach, picking at a bandage.

"I might have a little feeling that we'll be all right," he replied. Melissa gave a little giggle, catching Jackson's slightly embarrassed face. Suddenly, Eric stuck his head in the tent.

"Chief, you gotta come see this!" he shouted. They both exchanged looks before Melissa jumped up and helped Jackson off his sleeping bag. They both hobbled out onto the beach where the rest of the group was gathered. It was a moment before they saw what everyone was looking at.

"Holy shit…" Jackson muttered.

"Cojack, they picked up the signal from my chopper!" Jo shouted at them from the edge of the water. Melissa and Jackson both looked up to see a black military Black Hawk coming up towards the island and preparing to land.

"You were right about that feeling," Melissa whispered into Jackson's ear. He nodded.

_To Be Continued…_


	8. Thank You

Dear readers,

Thank you so much for all your support in my stories and you've made my first story posted on Fan Fiction a good experience. Thank you for your support and all the advice you've given me! I'm so glad I've had awesome supporters and great friends on this website and I'm looking forward to posting again on Fan Fiction! Thanks so much!

Sincerely,

An Angel Departed


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